Racial Discrimination in the Labor Market: An Experimental Study in Bogotá

This paper documents the first Colombian quantitative study on racial discrimination in the labor market, specifically in Bogotá. The study finds that the skin color has a direct and negative effect on the chances of finding a job.

The denial that racial discrimination exists in Colombia and the lack of measures to combat it are partly due to the lack of reliable data on the disadvantages the Afro-Colombian population face in the workforce, the education system and in housing. This paper documents the first Colombian quantitative study on racial discrimination in the labor market, specifically in Bogotá. The study finds that the skin color has a direct and negative effect on the chances of finding a job.